Apparatus for treating lumber



Jan. 27, 1931. CLARK I "1,789,999

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LUMBER Filed June 2. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY5 Jan. 27, 1931. H. B. CLARK 1,789,999

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LUMBER v Filed June 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o 4 u Ham/B ///@Z I A 25 2:1 I 4 2p Q o v 1a 1 k iw 1"" 'ered in b be continuously Patented Jan. 27, 1931 HENRY'B. CLARK, OF ELIZABE'II-LUNEW' JERSEY P APPARATUS FOR TREATING LUMBER Application filed June 2,

This invention relates particularly to a paratus forsaturating or impregnating lumber or the like with a preservative or a waterproofingcomposition. WVithin recent years,

= it has been discovered that lumber, especially flooring, can be impregnated with a certain liquid composition so as to'prevent the lumber from absorbing moisture and thereby obviating the difliculty frequently encountoards swelling and shrinkage by absorption of moisture and subsequent drying. However, the methods and apparatus now used'for handling and saturating the lumber are laborious, slow, inetficient and eX- pensive; this being the case especially where a certain number of bundles of boards are lifted by a crane, lowered thereby into a tank or vat for a certain period of time, then removed, conveyed away, drained of surplus material, and dried.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for saturating or impregnating material such as lumber with a liquid composition whereby the lumber may passed through the immerand drying stagesat one place without attention by operators and in large quantities, the untreated lumber being placed in the apparatus at one point, automatically conveyed, successively and in a continuous path through the liquid composition, a draining and drying chamber, and automatically discharged in finished. condition at another point.

Other objects are to provide apparatus of the character described includinga novel and improved construction, combination and arrangement of :immersing tank, conveyor, ,draining apparatus, and drying mechanism; 7 to provide such apparatus whereb sion, draining,

stages maybe varied, and. to obtain'other advantages and results as'will be brought out by the following description Referring to the accom in which corresponding andlike parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section.-

y the time of treatment of the lumber in the various panying drawings,-

iazs. Serial No. 282,460.

invention.

pal view through apparatus embodying my Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken 011 the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the and Figure 4 is a detach v basket one of the baskets for to be'treated. Specific bodiment ofmy with which the lumbe dumping mechanism,

7 ed perspective view of;

supporting the lumber ally describing the illustratedeminvention, the referencecharacter A deslgnates a tan k to contain a liquid 1" I r or the like is to be saturated or impregnated.- Above said t'ank isarranged a draming anddrymg chamber B through which the 1 it has been immerse composition.

mber is conveyed'after.

d in the liquid treating In accordance. with'the invention the lumber or th continuous the tank A,

e like to be treated is conveyed ina passage through the liquid 1 in then through the draining and drying chamber B and is then automatically deposited up lumber to the platform. To less chain con chains Qeach sprockets and this end arrange on a conveyor. which carries the storehouse or to the loading I may utilize an endveyor comprising two paralleld over a plurality of supporting between them. as

bytrunnions 3 or the like a plurality ofbaskets or other suitable receptacles 4 ceivethelumber to be treated. The

are shown as arranged to rechams with a vertical reach 5 passing over sprockets 6, 7 and8 the lower one ofwhich is a of the'tank A. opening 9 at the rranged adjacent the bottom The chains pass through an top and: adjacent one end of the tank A, and the lumber C to be treated is brou suitable conveyor D.

ght adjacent the conveyor chains .by a

The conveyor chains are driven in any suitable manneras by a belt. and pulley connection'lO with a suitable.

source of power. The

lumber C may be removed from the conveyor-2D and deposited in the adj acent basket otherwise. After the conveyor chains; pass 7 over the sprocket 8 they run along parallel to the bottom ofthe tank alternating opposite :and upwardly and in irections over sprock- 4 by an operator or v 21 and ets 11, 12 and 13, all submerged in the liquid 1. From the sprocket 13 the chains pass upwardly through an opening 14 in the top of the tank and over sprockets 15 arranged at the bottom of the chamber B. The conveyor chains are then arranged in aplurality of superposed substantially horizontal reaches 16 between a plurality oi sprockets 17, the uppermost reach 18 passing outwardly through one end of thechamber B at the top, then upwardly around sprockets 19' and horizontally to the sprockets 6. Preferably the various reaches of the conveyor chains are supported by guides 20projecting inwardly from the sides of the tank A and chamber 13, and preferably, to remove the tension strains on the conveyor chains 2, each of the sprockets is driven by trains of gears and chain and sprocket connections 23 and 241, the power being lerived from the connection 10.

Between the reaches of the conveyor chains in the chamber B are disposed drain plates 25 each or which is shaped to direct the liquid falling therein into a drain passage 26 at one side of the chamber B which extends downwardly into the tank A.

A blower fan or the like 27 is connected to force a jet oi air into the lower end of the chamber B, which air is conducted by the tortuous passage formed by the drain plates 25 upwardly to the top of the chamber B from which the air is withdrawn through a pipe 28 back to the inlet of the fan 27. Preferably the air is passed over a steam-heated coil 29 whereby the moisture is removed from the air and heat added thereto.

In operation of the apparatus the conveyor chains are constantly moving in the direction indicated by the arrows, and the lumber or the like C to be treated being placed in the respective baskets 4 is first immersed in the liquid 1, the period of immersion depending on the length of the conveyor reaches and the speed of travel of the conveyor chains. When the baskets reach the sprockets 13 they are lifted from the liquid 1 and carried into the draining and drying chamber B wherein the surplus liquid drains from the lumber onto the drain plates 25 and is conducted back to the tank A. At the same time the lumber in the baskets a is subjected to the currents of warm air passing through the chamber B between the drain plates 25, said air drying the lumber so that when the baskets reach the top of the chamber and emerge from the outlet opening 30, the lumber is completely dried. The period of drying is of course variable with the speed of move ment and length of the conveyor chains.

For the purpose of maintaining the treating liquid at the required temperature. for enample, about 140 degrees F. I may utilize steam-heating coils 36 within the tank and below the surface of the liquid, which are finished lumber to the conveyor connected in any suitable manner to a supply of steam.

immediately adjacent the outlet opening 30 a mechanism E is provided for automatically dumping the baskets. This mechanism may be of any suitable construction, but for the purposeoi' illustration is shown as comprising a sliding hook 31 having a pin and slot connection 32 with a lined support and normally influenced in the direction opposite to that of the adjacent reach of the conveyor chains by .a tension spring 33. Each basket is provided at its top with a lug 3e which is engaged by said hook 31 as the basket passes beneath the hook. Movement of the conveyorchains after the hook engages said lug, causes the basket-to be tilted as in-.

dicated at 35 in Figure 3 of the drawings which causes the lumber to fall by gravity upon the conveyor F which carries the lumher to a desired point. Further movement of the conveyor chains causes the lug 3 1 to disengage itselffrom the hook 31, whereupon the hook is withdrawn to its normal position by the spring 33.

it will be understood that where a certain ratio in speed of travel of the lumber during the immersing, draining and drying stages is desired, separate conveyors may be used for each operation, one conveyor being arranged to deliver the lumber to the next successive conveyor, in a manner similar to that in which the conveyor chains 2 deliver the F, Also it is possible to utilize two separate chambers for the draining and drying operations.

It will be understood that my invention may be embodied in apparatus including details oi construction widely different from that herein described, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the specific details of construction illustrated and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. Apparatus comprisinga treating tank to contain a treating substance, a draining and drying chamber, and an endless conveyor passing through said treating substance and said draining and drying chamber for moving the lumber to be treated successively through said treating substance and said'chamber, and drain plates beneath the reaches of the conveyor to receive and direct the surplus substance back to said tank.

2. Apparatus otthe character described comprising a treating tank to contain a treating substance, a draining and drying chamber, and an endless conveyor passing through said treating substance and said draining and drying chamber for moving the lumber to be treated successively through said treating substance and said chamber, and drain plates of the character described.

beneath the reaches of the conveyor to receive and direct the surplus substance back to said tank, said'plates and conveyor reaches being arranged to form a tortuous passage for the lumber being treated, and means for forcing circulation of air through said'tortuous passage.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising-a treating tank to contain a treatmg substance, a draming and drying chamber disposed above said tank, anendless conveyor passing through said treating substance and said draining and drying chamber and arranged with a plurality of vertically spaced substantially horizontal reaches for moving the lumber to be treated successively through said treating substance and saidchainber, a plurality of drain plates one beneath each reach of the conveyor in said draining and drying chamber and arranged to formv a tortuous passage for the lumber to be treated, and a common drain surplus treating substance fromall of said drain plates and direct it back to said tank. a

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a treating tank to contain a treating substance, a draining and drying chamber disposed above said tank, a pair of endless and parallel chains passing through said treating substance and said draining and drying chamber and arranged with a plurality of superposed spaced substantially horizontal reaches, and a plurality of receptacles to receive lumber suspended between said endless chains for moving the lumber to be treated successively through said treating substance and said chamber.

5. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said endless chains include a substantially vertical reach outside of said tank and said drying and draining chamber, and with the addition of a conveyor for conveying lumber to be treated into proximity with said vertical reach so that the lumber may be deposited from said feeding conveyor into said receptacles.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 wherein said receptacles are suspended on horizontal axes to rotate, and means for automatically tipping said receptacles about said axes to discharge the lumber therefrom as said receptacles emerge from the draining and drying chamber.

HENRY B. CLARK.

passage for receiving 

